


listen and learn

by isloremipsumafterall



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 13:04:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7685668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isloremipsumafterall/pseuds/isloremipsumafterall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Guinan and Geordi have a talk in ten forward about life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	listen and learn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AceQueenKing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceQueenKing/gifts).



“You know the view is pretty but it doesn’t change much. Unless we’re about to go into a nebula that is.”

 

Guinan’s voice startled Geordi from his thoughts and he jerked over to see her leaning on the chair across from him with a bemused smile on her face.

 

“Sorry,” Geordi laughed to dispel his awkwardness, “Guess I was staring pretty hard.”

 

“Mind if I join you?” He’d barely had the time to nod before Guinan sat down. “So,” She rested her hands on the table, “What’s on your mind? Something tells me it isn’t the stars out there.” She shifted her head just slightly to indicate towards the viewscreen.

 

“It’s not,” Geordi agreed with a sigh, “I was just…thinking you know. About life on a ship. My mom.” He shrugged to show that he wasn’t even sure where his thoughts were.

 

“Hm,” Guinan hummed, “Sounds like some hard thinking you’re doing.”

 

“It’s just…she went missing out there,” The thought of his mother gone still left a hole inside him but he swallowed and moved on, “And didn’t even get to tell my father how much she loved him. They weren’t even anywhere near each other but they still had that kind of relationship, you know?”

 

“Ah,” Guinan smiled again, ducking her head and then looking up slightly, “So it’s that kind of thought.”

 

“What kind?”

 

“The relationship kind, where you’re not certain if you’d find the same.” Guinan stated, so bluntly Geordi was almost taken aback.

 

He chuckled instead, “You gotta admit, I haven’t had much luck out here.”

 

“Maybe you’re trying too hard, sometimes you’ve just got to let it go in order to really see something.” Guinan suggested.

 

“Are you saying I’m missing something?” Geordi teased, “See something I can’t?”

 

“Oh I see all kinds of things when I’m here, things people don’t realize I see.” Guinan admitted and there was an ease in her voice that suggested it was something she just did, “Or hear, you’ve got to learn how to listen as well.”

 

“It’s what makes you a great barkeeper.” Geordi assured her, raising his glass slightly and making Guinan laugh.

 

“I thought it was my ability to keep orders straight but all right,” Guinan raised one hand to rest her chin on it, elbow on the table, “Don’t think I can’t tell when you’re changing the subject.”

 

“That obvious?” Geordi sighed again, “At least I tried.”

 

“Now that’s the spirit,” Guinan was grinning at him, “Focus on other things.”

 

“I’ve been trying to,” Geordi didn’t mean for it to come out as a whine and he grimaced. “I just can’t help but notice that there’s a lot of a relationships going on on this ship.”

 

“It’s tough not being in one.” Guinan said, looking at him with knowing eyes, “When I was young…well… a very long time ago, I thought that I needed to be in one. Now I know better. But that still doesn’t mean that I don’t miss that companionship.” Guinan’s voice fell just a little, enough that Geordi reached over the table to brush against her fingers in comradery.

 

“No one’s going to say no to your company,” Geordi told her, “Not even Ro could refuse.”

 

“I am hard to say no to.” Guinan admitted.

 

“Years of practice?” Geordi joked, the corner of his lips tugging upwards. One day he’d love to learn just how old Guinan was and as much of the universe she had seen.

 

“Something like that,” She nimbly dodged the teasing with a smile. She looked down where Geordi’s fingers still touched hers and took his hand, flipping it so she could see his palm. “You know Humans used to believe you could read the future just by looking at someone’s palms. That a whole life had been planned out for you.”

 

“Yeah? And what do you see?” Geordi inched in a little closer as though he could decipher what it was the Guinan was looking at.

 

“That you worked hard to get to where you are, that you’ll work harder still. But it doesn’t take looking at your palm to see that.” She patted it with her other hand nonetheless.

 

“Nothing about love then.” Geordi clucked his tongue, “Out of luck there still.” He pulled his hand back and rested his chin on it.

 

“Oh there’s plenty of time for that too, I already told you.” Guinan leaned back and then tapped her fingers on the table. The red dress she wore shimmered slightly at the movement and caught the light that hung above them, creating a flicker of static in Geordi’s visor. Her gaze trailed around the room and Guinan hummed, “I think the replicator’s acting up again.” She said suddenly and Geordi looked around her to where the replicator was in the corner.

 

“I’ll fix it for you, can even program in some new meals if you’d like.” Geordi offered and was already calculating in his head what it could be.

 

“I’d like that,” Guinan grinned, “If you don’t mind looking at it right now, I think Ensign Taitt could use some help.”

 

Geodri chuckled, “Guess and Engineers job is never done.”

 

“Oh you’d be bored otherwise.”

 

“I would,” He stood up and started to walk over to the replicator but stopped next to Guinan, “Thank you for the talk.”

 

“Any time.” She said, standing up herself and heading back to the bar with a swish in her hips.

 

Geordi watched her go, shaking his head in bemusement that Guinan could always tell when he needed to talk to somebody. At the replicators Zandra Taitt was scowling with her hands on her hips.

 

“I think it just needs a little love,” Geordi said from behind her, smiling apologetically when she jumped. She relaxed when she saw it was him and stepped aside with a tilt of her head.

 

“I appreciate the help. These things never seem to want to listen to me.” Zandra sighed.

 

“Ah it’s no problem,” Geordi opened the panel next to it, “The one in your room still okay?”

 

“Not really,” She admitted, “That’s why I came here.”

 

“Well when I’m done I can take a look at that too,” He assured her.

 

She grinned widely at him, “It just needs a little love too?”

 

“Something like that,” He laughed.

 

With his back to the bar he didn’t notice Guinan’s small smile as she glanced over at the two of them but it was certain he’d be back later that night for another talk with her; he’d be looking forward to it in fact.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope this is okay as I've rarely written for either character and that you like it!


End file.
